Device fabricated from one cut for holding and carrying containers



Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS FiledOct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 zj z g B a.

i C INVENTOR ,@fij% Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS FiledOCT. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Fig.

1 f "2 W 21 19* (f 1 JW 4 w Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS FiledOct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 30 29 28 27 25 p l 1 I i I 1 1 394 38 3425 I T i r 122 33 l 35 I 35 Dec. 3, 1968 sc w n-z 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS FiledOct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 SMR J Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 20, 1966 United States Patent 3,414,313 DEVHIEFABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDllNG AND CARRYING CONTAINERS HellmuthSehwarz, Hamburg, Germany, assignor to Bruno Schwarz, Hamburg-Eergedorf,Germany Filed Oct. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 588,079 Claims priority,application Germany, Oct. 21, 1965,

V 29,567; Dec. 22, 1965, V 29,999

6 Claims. (Cl. 294-87.2)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package forming device preferablyconstructed of a sheet paper material used to handle and interconnect aplurality of containers, such as cans, having an upper peripheral beadedend wherein the containers are maintained in engagement with the deviceby spaced-opposed lugs engaging the underside of the container beads.The lugs being hinged and including a free end wherein individualcontainers may be removed from the device Without affecting theinterconnection between the other containers and the device.

It is the object of the invention to provide a package suited forshipping and distribution which may be fabricated at low costs and icapable of reliably holding together and fixing a plurality ofcontainers or bottles of the type specified above. Such package unitsmay then be packed in turn into enveloping cartons with the aid of whicha larger number of bottles or containers may be shipped.

Numerous advantages connected With packages and distribution areresulting from the fact that a smaller number of containers or bottles,for instance 3 to 6 of them, are reliably combined and fixed to form apackaged unit making use of inexpensive means. The bottles or containersthemselves are safely retained in the enveloping cartons with the aid ofthe subject matter of the application without the necessity of anyinsert type packages having to be provided. In this way, mechanizationof the packaging step is greatly facilitated.

The invention makes it also possible to package and ship in anenveloping carton a relatively large number of bottles or containerswithout, during distribution, encountering the difficulty of a retaileror even a wholesale merchant requiring only a smaller number ofcontainers or bottles. After the containers and bottles combined into apackage unit with the aid of the invention have been taken out of theenveloping carton, said units may be reliably stored practically withoutbeing subjected to the danger of being overturned.

In accordance with the invention, this problem is solved in that twowebs disposed opposite each other and encompassing the containers fromoutside may be fixed at a carrier belt extending in parallel with acontainer wall, and almost vertically with respect to said belt, and inthat lugs adapted to be pivoted about an axis and connected wit-h thewebs along said avis are engaging at said webs, said lugs lying close toone side of the bead utilizing in so doing the resiliency of thecardboard or carton material, while the container wall finds supportagainst the carrier belt. The holding and carrying device formed in thismanner constitutes a U-shaped carrier which, on the one hand, exhibitsconsiderable strength and, on the other hand, may be fabricated at lowlabour and material costs. It also offers the considerable advantagethat only one wall of the containeras a rule the cover or bottom-iscovered by the carrier belt so that the major portion of the containerremains free. In this manner, the view on the labels or imprints whichare for adver- 3,414,313 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 tizing purpose-s is not,or only slightly, impaired. Finally, the subject matter of the inventionofiers the advantage that the containersi.e. especially the cans orbottlesare fixed within the holding and carrying devices in such amanner that the labels and imprints serving a'dvertizing purposes canneither be damaged by friction among-st each other or the like.

The resilient lugs of the carrying and holding device are of specialimportance, said lugs lying close to the one side of the bead andthereby utilizing the resiliency of the cardboard or carton material.The cardboard or carton thus must on the one hand have sufficienttension and on the other hand the edge of the cardboard or carton mustbe hard enough to secure retention of the container simply by said edgelying close to one side of the bead. Thus the edge must not become softand yield under the influence of the load.

In a preferable embodiment of the invention, therefore, the cut for thefabrication of the holding and carrying device consists of microcorrugated paper. This involves a cardboard which has an overallthickness of only about 1.0-1.5 mm. and the outer layer and corrugationof which are relatively strong, consisting as a rule of strong soda orsulphate paper. Such micro corrugated papers are known. They areexcellently suited to carry out the invention, the resilient lugspossessing both a suificient tension and a satisfactory edge strength.

The pivoting axis of the lugs preferably substantially coincides withthe outwardly disposed edge of the webs. There results in this manner asuflicient length for the axially resilient lugs so that when packaging,the containers may be inserted in such a manner that the bead of thecontainer at first spreads the resilient lugs apart so that thereuponthe resilient lugs may lie close against the one side of the bead.

That portion of the blank disposed adjacent the resilient lugs ispreferably formed in such a manner that it fixes the container in adirection in parallel with the carrier belt.

On principle, other means may be employed as well to fix the containersin a direction in parallel with the carrier belt. But in general suchspecial means only will add to the production costs.

In one embodiment of the invention, the webs are retained in anessentially vertical position by that portion of the cut which isdisposed adjacent the resilient lugs, serving at least partially tomutually support and hold the webs. One obtains in the manner inparticular a carrier which has no U-shaped but a square cross sectionalarea and which possesses an especially high strength, it is true, butwhich requires also more material. Conse quently, as a rule, thoseembodiments of the invention are preferred in which the carrier belttogether with the web from a U-shaped carrier.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the webs are connected witha strip serving to form both the resilient lugs and those members whichretain the containers longitudinally of the carrier belt while retainingthe webs essentially vertically of the carrier belt. In this connectionit is recommendable to provide the strips with holding surface connectedwith the webs via supporting areas and serving to fix the webs withrespect to the bottom web.

In some embodiments of the invention, these holding areas are rigidlyconnected with the carrier belt especial- 1y by gluing. In this mannerthere results right from the beginning an unobjectionable carrier ofU-shaped cross sectional area for fixing and holding the individualcontainers, it is true. The gluing, however, constitutes an additionaloperational step which renders the fabrication more complicated and addsto the production costs.

The holding areas are preferably designed to be of such a size that acontainer wall will be supported at least partially on the holdingareas. In connection with this, the holding areas are fixed by thecontainer wall when the containers have been inserted, the area of thecontainer being fixed between the container wall and the bead by theresilient lugs. Such a carrying and holding device does not require anygluing. The carrier fixing the individual containers is formed only atthe moment of assembly, the cut having to be provided previously onlywith incisions and grooves in a manner to be described in more detail inthe following.

Further improvements and suitable developments of the invention will beexplained in connection with the attached drawing which shows by way ofexample some embodiments of the invention in a simplifiedrepresentation.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a view taken of the blank in a preferred embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a transverse view taken on the carrying and holding deviceformed in accordance with the invention in an assembled condition with apreserve can partially pushed into the device,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view taken on the carrying and holding deviceshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, with a preserve can which is only shownin part (the view is taken obliquely on the open side of the U-shapedcross sectional area of the carrying and holding device),

FIG. 4 shows a view taken on the carrying and holding device of FIGS.l-3 taken from below,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the carrying and holding device of FIGS.l-4, provided with holding brackets to facilitate the handling thereof,

FIG. 6 shows a view of another blank formed in accordance with theinvention,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken on the finished-folded carrying andholding device formed with the aid of the blank in accordance with FIG.6 showing in part a bottle inserted in the device,

FIG. 8 is a view taken of another blank formed in accordance with theinvention,

FIG. 9 shows a view taken on the carrying and holding device folded withthe aid of the blank according to FIG. 8, the position of the cansretained by said device being shown in dash-dotted lines,

FIG. 10 shows a view taken of another blank formed in accordance withthe invention,

FIG. 11 shows a view taken of the carrying and holding device formed inaccordance with the cut of FIG. 10, the cans retained by said deviceagain being shown in dash-dotted lines,

FIG. 12 shows a view taken on another cut formed in accordance with theinvention,

FIG. 13 is a partially sectional View to illustrate one specific mannerin which the subject matter of the application may be employed whichslightly differs in particular from that one described in FIG. 2, makinguse of a blank similar to that of FIG. 12,

FIG. 14 shOWs a transverse view similar to that one of FIG. 2 toillustrate another embodiment of the invention.

In the first place, the preferred embodiment of the invention will bedescribed with the aid of FIGS. 1-5. The blank shown in FIG. 1 isrectangular and serves to hold and fix four preserve cans this numberalso having been selected only for example. The blank 1 made of microcorrugated cardboard is provided with relatively deeper grooves 2, 3(shown in broken lines) and less distinct relatively shorter grooves 4spaced from each other (shown in dash-dotted lines). Those points atwhich the centers of the four preserve cans are to lie later on, aredesignated 5, 5", 5', and 5"". Incisions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are providedabreast of these centers 5. The incisions 6, 7, 8 together with aportion of the groove 3 include a lug 11 which, for reasons resultingfrom the description below, is also designated a resilient lug which isadapted to be pivoted about an axis lying in front of a portion of thegroove 3, within a region fixed by the tension or resiliency of themicro corrugated cardboard. The corrugations of the micro corrugatedpaper extent in parallel relationship with respect to the edges 15 ofthe blank, i.e. perpendicularly with respect to the edges 14.

Those areas which are disposed between the incisions 7, 8, 9, 10 and thegrooves 3, 4, for reasons to be discussed later on, are designated assupporting areas and bear the reference numeral 12. A through-goingstrip bearing the reference numeral 13, is disposed beyond the resilientlugs 11 as well as beyond the supporting areas, said strips beingdesignated as holding strip in the following. These holding strips aredefined by the outer longitudinal edges 14, part of the transverse edges15, the spacedapart grooves 4, and the incisions 9, 6 and 10.

Between the grooves 2 and 3, there are disposed strips which areextending lengthwise from the one transverse edge 15 to the othertransverse edge 15 of the blank and which are designated as webs; thesewebs bear the reference numeral 16. A wide belt extends the entirelength of the blank between the grooves 2, said belt being designated ascarrier belt and bearing the reference numeral 17. As will be seenespecially from FIG. 2, 3 and 5, in order to form the carrying andholding device, the blank is folded inwardly along the grooves 2 and 3in such a manner that the web areas are standing vertical with respectto the carrier belt 17.

While the material is folded to the same side along the grooves 2. 3. itis fixed along the grooves 4 in the opposite direction in such a mannerthat the holding strips 13 come to lie on the carrier belt 17 with thewhole area thereof. In this position the supporting areas 12 standoblique with respect to both the carrier belt and the web areas 16 whichare now disposed essentially vertically with respect to the carrierbelt.

In one embodiment of the invention, the fabrication of somehow fasteningthe holding strips 13 on the carrier the carrying and holding device maybe terminated by belt 17 in the position as described above, inparticular by gluing. As will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, a U-shapedcarrier is provided in this manner. The webs 16 are supported againstthe carrier belt 17 by means of the supporting surfaces 12, thesupporting surfaces being retained on the carrier belt by means of theholding strips 13. Now, the individual containers, for example thepreserve cans 19, may be inserted from the open side of the U- shapedcarrier, as resulting from FIG. 2 and 3 but also from FIG. 4, theresilient lugs 11 being pressed outwardly about the axis 3 thereofagainst the resiliency or tension of the micro corrugated cardboard. Assoon as the edge 6 of the resilient lugs 11 has jumped the bead 18 ofthe preserving can 19, the edge -6 will lie close to the head 18 fromthe rear. The resilient lug because of the tension of the cardboardmaterial is pressed against the surface of the can. The edge 6 is sohard that the can is axially located against this resilient lug.

The bottom or cover 21 of this can will lie close to the holding strips13 at the same time so that the axial thickness (a) of the bead in theassembled condition approximately equals the distance of the edge 6 ofthe resilient lug 11 from the outwardly disposed side 'of the holdingstrip 13.

The cans are fixed axially by the obliquely extending incisions 9, 10which in part define the supporting surfaces 12. This results inparticular from FIG. 4. In the assembled condition, the cans are axiallyfixed in such a manner that there is little or no play available betweentheir outwardly protruding beads. Damage to the labels or imprints onthe can is precluded.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, permanent fasteningof the holding areas 13 to the carrier belt 17 is dispensed with. It isrecalled to mind here that the can is supported on the carrier belt byits bottom or lid area in such a manner that the protruding bead of thecans is clamped between the holding strip 13 and the edge 6 of theresilient lug 11. This clamping effect is resulting even if the holdingstrip 13 has not at all been rigidly connected with the carrier belt 17previously.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, thus, the readily preparedand grooved blank is folded in the manner as described and then thecontainer, in particular the can, all at once inserted, which now on theone hand is retained in the carrying and holding device and, on theother hand, keeps the individual parts of the carrying and holdingdevice in their end positions as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

FIG. 5 shows the subject matter of the invention with, for instance, 4preserve cans and carrying bands or brackets 20. This type of suspensionwill be generally usual when the containers are packaged into someenveloping cartons. But it also is possible to make use of the carryingand holding device, vice versa, in such a manner that the individualcontainer, for instance, the preserve cans, stand facing upwardly.

The FIGS. 8 and 9 as Well as the FIGS. 10 and 11 show lightly modifiedblanks which differ from the blank of the other figures, in particularin that the holding strip 13 is not a through-going one but onlyconsists of individual portions which are serving to fix the supportingsurface 12 und thus to fix the webs 16 with respect to the carrier belt17. In the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1, however, thethrough-going holding surfaces 13 contribute towards an increase in thestrength of the U-shaped carrier so that already for this reason, as arule, the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1 is to be givenpreference. The embodiments in accordance with FIGS. 8-11 deserve to begiven preference in particular in cases where the weight of the carryingand holding device is to be especially low or Where light-weightcontainers are involved. In these figures, only the reference numeralsfor the individual areas have been entered which are in conformity withthe reference numerals for FIG. 1, so that it is not necessary toenlarge any further on these FIGS. 9-11.

The blank in accordance with FIG. 6 results in a carrying and holdingdevice of about square cross sectional area. The cut 43 of FIG. 6 issubdivided into five portions of essentially equal width 26, 27, 28, 29,30 by grooves 22, 23, 24, 25. Incisions 32, 32 are provided within theportion 28. These groups of incisions are spaced from each other throughdistances corresponding to those between the containers which are to bereceived by the carrying and holding device. The incisions 31, 32, 33form two mutually opposed lugs 38, 39 which may be pivoted about thegrooves 23, 24 acting as axes.

Tongues 35 are provided at the outer edge 34 of the web 26, while at thegroove slots 36 are provided on the same level as the tongues 35.

As will be seen from FIG. 7, the individual webs 26, 27, 28, 29, arerespectively folded along the grooves 22, 23, 24, 25 about 90, thetongues 35 being pushed into the slots 36 at the end in the usualmanner.

This holding and carrying device serves for instance to hold and fixbottles 37. The edges 31 of the resilient lugs 38, 39 lie against a bead40 of the bottleneck, while the mouth 41 of the bottleneck is supportedon the web 30 which, in the assembled condition, overlies the web 26.Because of the downward-hinging movement of the resilient lugs 38, 39edges 42 are formed in the web 28 which now serve to support thebottleneck or the body of the bottle in the longitudinal direction ofthe carrying and holding device.

FIG. 12 shows still another blank in which the same reference numeralshave been used as in the description of the embodiment according toFIGS. 15. In case the short holding surfaces (they are notuninterruptedly ex- 6 tending longitudinally in FIG. 12 either) shouldbe fastened somehow on the carrier surface 17, for instance by gluing,the corners 43 of the carrying surface which are shown in broken linesmay be removed so that then the container, in particular, the preservecan, comes to lie directly against the carrier surface 17.

In accordance with FIG. 13, with containers having two protruding beadsspaced from each other, the carrying and holding device formed inaccordance with the invention 'may also be designed and used in such amanner that the one bead is seized by a resilient lug on the one sideand the other bead is seized by a resilient lug on the other side of theblank. Also in FIG. 13, those reference numerals have again been usedwhich have been employed for the description of the embodiment accordingto FIGS. 1-5. The preserve can 19 according to FIG. 13 is disposedlengthwise between two mutually opposed resilient lugs 11, the width ofthe carrier area 17 between the grooves 2 being essentially equal to thelength of the preserve can 19. The resilient lugs 11 in this case lie inthe cavity of the cover or the bottom 21, respectively, of the preservecan 19. The outer edge 44 of the resilient lugs (please see FIG. 12)then suitably will be cut in accordance with the roundness of the bead18 so that the resilient lug 11 simultaneously also fixes the canlongitudinally of the holding and carrying device 1 by means of itsrounded edge 44.

With the utilization shown in FIG. 13, as a rule, some fastening of theholding strip 13 to the carrier belt 17, in particular by gluing, willbe recommendable, even if the holding strip extends with nointerruptions longitudinally. In case here as well a rigid connection ofthe holding strip With the carrier belt is dispensed with, areinforcement is suitably provided between the carrying belt 17 or theholding strip 13, respectively, and the periphery of the can 19 at leastin that region, where the periphery most nearly approaches the holdingstrips. This reinforcement must approximately balance the protrudingbead 18.

The invention may furthermore be considerably improved in that in theembodiments according to FIGS. 15 the holding surfaces in accordancewith FIG. 14 are not-as previously shown and described-pivoted away fromthe carrying belt 17 about the grooves 4 from the plane of thesupporting surfaces 12 through an angle smaller than but that theholding surfaces 13 are pivoted onto the carrier belt 17 about thegrooves 4 from the plane of the supporting surface 12 through an angleof more than 90. Also in this case the web 16 is arranged approximatelyvertically with respect to the carrier belt 17. In the case of theembodiment just described above, however, the tendency of the holdingsurface 13 to keep the web 16 in its position about vertically withrespect to the carrier belt 17 is much greater than with the previouslydescribed embodiments. Also in the embodiment in accordance with FIGS.813, the holding surfaces 13 may be hinged in correspondence with therepresentation in FIG. 14.

The container is especially safely clamped between the resilient lugs 11and the holding surface 13 which is resilient in the direction towardsthe container so that the web 16 cannot deviate outwardly even in thecase of relatively higher stresses. By such a deflection of the holdingsurface 13, the web will be pulled inwardly like a lever.

For the sake of completeness, attention is drawn to the fact that withall the embodiments of the invention the containers in case of beingprovided with two protruding beads, may also be pushed into a holdingand carrying device formed in accordance with the invention, from bothsides.

What I claim is:

1. A package defining device of sheet material for engagement withcontainers having an outwardly extending peripheral bead adjacent an endof the container. comprising, in combination, a carrier portion havingan underside surface and lateral edge portions, a web portiontransversely depending from each of said lateral edge portions in thedirection of said underside surface, said web portions being spacedapart a distance great enough to receive the beaded container endtherebetween, at least one set of lugs formed in said web portions, eachset of lugs comprising at least first and second lugs, said first lugbeing formed in one of said web portions and said second lug beingformed in the other web portion in directly opposed relation to saidfirst lug, each of said lugs being formed of the material of itsassociated web portion and including a first end removed from saidcarrier portion underside surface and hinged to the associated webportion, a free second end disposed toward said underside surface andlateral side edges free from the associated web portion permitting saidlugs second ends to be hinged toward and away from each other, saidsecond ends of said lugs terminating short of said underside surfacewhereby a container beaded end may be inserted between said web portionstoward said undersurface and said lugs second ends engage the containerbead at opposed locations locking the device and container together.

2. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of setsof lugs are defined on said web portions, said sets being spaced fromeach other along the length of said web portions.

3. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said web portionsinclude end portions, said end portions being disposed adjacent saidcarrier portion undersurface and L; are maintained adjacent saidundersurface by the container beaded end upon said lugs second endsengaging the containers bead.

4. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said web portionsinclude container locating edges engaging a container disposed betweensaid web portions preventing movement of said containers in a directionparallel to said carrier portion lateral edge portions.

5. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said sheet meterialcom-prises micro-corrugated cardboard.

6. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein handle means aredefined on said carrier portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,005,654 10/1961 Stone 206653,016,259 6/1962 Lawrence 206-65 3,099,475 7/1963 Manizza 294873,139,981 7/1964 Akeireb 20665 3,168,194 2/1965 Weiss 20665 FOREIGNPATENTS 1,200,733 9/ 1965 Germany.

984,450 2/1965 Great Britain.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

